My instructor said there is basically no good reason to ever dump your weights. Nonetheless, every BC comes with dumpable weight pouches, so clearly the manufacturers feel this is an important feature. I'm curious about all the possible situations in which dumping your weights is actually a sensible thing to do. Here is all I could think of:
1 - A (novice) diver jumps off the boat with so much excess weight that they cannot maintain neutral or positive bouyancy on the surface, even with a fully inflated BC. They start sinking uncontrollably and must dump the weights before ever beginning their dive.
2 - A (novice) diver is significantly over-weighted, but doesn't realize it at the surface because their BC is able to keep them afloat. Later on during their dive, their BC malfunctions or springs a leak, and they are so negatively bouyant that they find it impossible to ascend by regulating their breathing, or without holding their breath for an unsafe period of time, so they need to dump some weights in order to be able to ascend.
3 - The diver loses a large source of bouyancy while on their dive -- for example an extra cylinder that they were planning to ascend with -- and hence need to drop some weight to counteract the unexpected loss of bouyancy.
4 - The diver finds something heavy on the seafloor that they want to bring up with them (e.g., a small treasure chest)
Have you ever encountered a situation where you or someone you know had to dump their weights? If so I'd be curious to hear the story.
1 - A (novice) diver jumps off the boat with so much excess weight that they cannot maintain neutral or positive bouyancy on the surface, even with a fully inflated BC. They start sinking uncontrollably and must dump the weights before ever beginning their dive.
2 - A (novice) diver is significantly over-weighted, but doesn't realize it at the surface because their BC is able to keep them afloat. Later on during their dive, their BC malfunctions or springs a leak, and they are so negatively bouyant that they find it impossible to ascend by regulating their breathing, or without holding their breath for an unsafe period of time, so they need to dump some weights in order to be able to ascend.
3 - The diver loses a large source of bouyancy while on their dive -- for example an extra cylinder that they were planning to ascend with -- and hence need to drop some weight to counteract the unexpected loss of bouyancy.
4 - The diver finds something heavy on the seafloor that they want to bring up with them (e.g., a small treasure chest)
Have you ever encountered a situation where you or someone you know had to dump their weights? If so I'd be curious to hear the story.